Application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System in Groundwater Potential Assessment of Palladan, Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Groundwater is an important source of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities, particularly in basement complex terrains where its occurrence is controlled by surface and subsurface geological conditions. This study assessed the groundwater potential of Palladan, Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria, using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager (OLI) satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data were acquired and processed to generate thematic layers, including land use/land cover, lineament density, drainage density, and slope. The Landsat 9 imagery was processed using ENVI software, while ArcGIS was employed for spatial analysis, thematic mapping, and integration of the groundwater-influencing factors. Land use/land cover classification was performed using the Maximum Likelihood Classification technique, whereas lineaments were extracted from enhanced satellite imagery using directional filtering and PCI Geomatica. The thematic layers were reclassified according to their relative suitability for groundwater occurrence and integrated using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and weighted overlay techniques to produce a Groundwater Potential Zonation (GWPZ) map. The results revealed that built-up areas constituted approximately 50% of the study area, bare land 33%, vegetation 15%, and water bodies 2%. The AHP analysis assigned the highest weight to slope (0.5016), followed by drainage density (0.2630), land use/land cover (0.1591), and lineament density (0.0768), with a consistency ratio of 0.051. The resulting groundwater potential assessment identified areas of varying groundwater suitability, with approximately 60% of the study area classified within good to excellent groundwater potential zones. These zones were predominantly associated with gentle slopes, high lineament density, low drainage density, and favourable land cover conditions.
Source: Research Square
Institution: Ahmadu Bello University
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Engineering
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223705626